Mean
by DefyingGravity4Good
Summary: song-fic to the Taylor Swift song. A look at Elphaba and Frex's relationship throughout the musical.


**I had the weirdest dream last night. It was about Crookshanks, (you know, Harmione's cat in Harry Potter?) so, he was walking around the streets, and came across the Jellicle Junkyard (from CATS) and it was found out that he was Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's cousin, and he joined the tribe. It was really weird…. Anyway:**

**This is something that I thought of in the waiting room at the orthodontists' office, waiting to get my braces tightened. (Oh, joy.) this song was playing, and, for some reason I thought of Elphaba and Frex. I've never really done a story with them, so review and tell me how I did :) **

An eleven-year-old Elphaba Thropp scrubbed the floor of the Governor's mansion furiously, the house already shone because of her work, it should, for she had been working all day. But, she knew he father would never be satisfied.

_You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me_

_You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I'm nothing_

His words always pierced her heart, like a knife. She had built up walls to keep the pain out, even at the tender age of eleven. His words haunted her.

"_its your fault that your mother is dead."_

"_You take care of my dear Nessarose, because its your fault that she can't take care of herself!"_

"_Disgusting monster."_

_You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling me out when I'm wounded_

_You, pickin' on the weaker man_

_Well, you can take me down with just one single blow_

_But you don't know what you don't know_

His voice as he yelled at her was the most horrible sound her young ears had ever heard. Whenever she missed the tiniest speck of dust, or acted her age, he would call her a spoiled brat, and say that he was doing her a favor by not throwing her out on the street. Sometimes she wished he would put his 'favor' to rest. But, no, she wouldn't leave Nessa. She loved her sister, even if she was more servant than sibling.

One word, or one slap, was all it took to make the tears flow at first. Now, she had learned to control her emotions, hide them, and keep at her work.

_Someday I'll be living in a big old city_

_And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

_Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me_

_And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

One day, she would make him accept her. She would live and work in the Emerald City with the Wizard of Oz himself! He would regret being so cruel to her. He wouldn't be able to hurt her after that.

_Why you gotta be so mean?_

Why was he so terrible to her. Even at fifteen, now. Nothing had changed, except she had fully accepted that it was all her fault.

_You, with your switching sides and your walk-by lies and your humiliation_

He would use her for sermons. He would say that even if you had a child as terrible as her, they should love them. Then, they would get home. Hypocrite.

He was obviously humiliated by her, so he humiliated her by making her stand there as he said what a freak she was.

_You, have pointed out my flaws again as if I don't already see them_

He would make sure she knew that everything was her fault. That she was abnormal, she would never have a friend, and no man would ever want her. A terrible thing to tell a hormonal teenager, but he didn't care, he told her anyway.

_I'll walk with my head down trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you_

She was well aware that she would never satisfy him. She would always be in the background. A freak. She would never be his little girl.

_I just wanna feel okay again_

Her mother protected her from his harsh words when she was a baby. But, she was gone, and there was no one to make her feel better.

_I'll bet you got pushed around, somebody made you cold_

_But the cycle ends right now 'cause you can't lead me down that road_

_And you don't know what you don't know_

Maybe he had a hard life, and that made him cold. But, Elphaba didn't want to end up like that.

_Someday I'll be living in a big old city_

_And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

_Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me_

_And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

_Why you gotta be so mean?_

One day she would show him. She wouldn't end up like him. He had said that she would accompany Nessa to Shiz University. She was twenty years old now. It was time she went. But she had to look after Nessarose. But now, she would show him.

_And I can see you years from now in a bar, talking over a football game_

_With that same big loud opinion but nobody's listening_

_Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things_

_Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing_

As she lay in bed in her dorm room, with her no-found friend across the room, sleeping soundly, she couldn't help but think of how much he life had changed in the three short weeks she had been at Shiz. She knew that if she was at home, she would still be scrubbing.

Frex sat at the bar, talking to some random guy about football. He obviously disagreed, and made his opinion known, but no one really cared. On his way home, he thought of his daughters. Beautiful Nessarose, probably sleeping soundly. And that discusting _thing_, probably humming like she did while she worked at his house. She could never sing.

_But all you are is mean_

_All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic and alone in life_

_And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean_

She had done it, she had defied gravity and the Wizard. She happened to see the paper one day, as she passed through an Animal villige. Her father had disowned her. Good.

_But someday I'll be living in a big old city_

_And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah_

_Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me_

_And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

_Why you gotta be so mean?_

_Someday, I'll be, living in a big old city_

_(Why you gotta be so mean?)_

_And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

_(Why you gotta be so mean?)_

_Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me_

_(Why you gotta be so mean?)_

_And all you're ever gonna be is mean_

"Father's dead!" Nessa snapped at her.

"What?" Elphaba asked, in disbelief.

"He's dead." She saw her green sister's expression, "well, what did you except? After everything you've done, how you _disgraced us._ He died of shame. Embarrassed to death."

Elphaba took a deep breath, "Good, I'm glad. Its better."

"That's a wicked thing to say!"

"No, its just true!" he was nothing but mean.

_Why you gotta be so mean?_

**Hmm… I'm not sure how I feel about this… it actually turned out better than I thought it would.**


End file.
